In the electronics industry, flexible substrates are quickly becoming popular as a base for electronic circuits. Flexible substrates can include a wide variety of materials including, for example, any of a myriad of plastics. Once a desired electronic component, circuit, or circuits are formed over a surface of the flexible substrate, the flexible substrate can be attached to a final product or incorporated into a further structure. As an example, recent developments have fabricated display matrices on flexible substrates.
MEMS (microelectromechanical system) devices have also gained in popularity in the electronics industry. Many types of MEMS devices have been developed for a myriad of applications, including MEMS sensors configured to measure pressure variations. Due to manufacturing constraints, however, the fabrication of MEMS devices has been relegated thus far to standard substrates such as silicon substrates. Integration of MEMS devices with displays and/or other devices fabricated on flexible substrates has thus been constrained.
Shockwave-induced trauma, including closed-head brain trauma, can be difficult to diagnose and treat both in the field where quick decisions are required, as well as in a hospital environment where early decisions can impact the long-term prognosis for recovery and rehabilitation. Field decisions are crucial since appropriate immediate action for treatment can have a large effect on the long-term prognosis. Moreover, knowledge of the type and severity of traumatic brain injury sustained is critically important in developing and prescribing the appropriate longer term rehabilitation strategies. Not to be ignored is the psychological importance of being able to provide realistic expectations to the patient and his or her family and caregivers.
Therefore, a need exists in the art to develop MEMS devices compatible with flexible substrates and methods to integrate the fabrication of such MEMS devices along with other devices on flexible substrates for applications such as the detection and measurement of peak shockwave exposure and/or blast dosimetry for affected personnel.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “hack,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical, electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
“Electrical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include coupling involving any electrical signal, whether a power signal, a data signal, and/or other types or combinations of electrical signals. “Mechanical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include mechanical coupling of all types. The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.